H.R. 7025: Evidence-Based Grantmaking Act

The Evidence-Based Grantmaking Act, if enacted, aims to enhance the effectiveness of federal grants by requiring agencies to implement evidence-based practices. The main provisions of the bill include:

Key Requirements

• Defined Purpose: Agencies must specify clear purposes and intended outcomes for each grant in their funding announcements.
• Prioritization of Applications: Agencies will prioritize applications from organizations that use evidence-based practices and demonstrate how they will achieve the intended outcomes.
• Community Engagement: Applications that respond to community needs and are submitted by organizations from or representative of the community will be prioritized.
• Mandatory Evidence-Based Practices: Recipients of grants must utilize evidence-based practices when delivering services funded by the grant.
• Periodic Evaluations: Agencies must conduct evaluations to determine the effectiveness of grant-funded activities and report the results publicly. These evaluations should follow federal program evaluation standards.
• Annual Reports to Congress: Each covered agency is required to submit an annual report detailing the activities and outcomes related to the implementation of this bill.

Covered Agencies

The bill applies to several federal entities, including:

• Department of Agriculture
• Department of Commerce
• Department of Education
• Department of Energy
• Department of Health and Human Services
• Department of Homeland Security
• Department of Housing and Urban Development
• Department of the Interior
• Department of Justice
• Department of Labor
• Department of Transportation
• Department of the Treasury
• Department of Veterans Affairs
• Environmental Protection Agency
• Small Business Administration

Implementation Timeline

The bill sets guidelines for defining evidence-based practices within a year of enactment, with agencies expected to implement these practices for their grant programs five years after the bill becomes law. Furthermore, provisions for community engagement and public comment on definitions and frameworks are included.

Compliance and Reporting

After implementation, agencies must submit regular reports to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and Congress, detailing their progress in applying the framework for evidence-based practices to covered grants.

Definitions and Flexibility

The bill requires the OMB to provide guidance on what constitutes "evidence-based," allowing agencies some flexibility to define this term according to their specific missions and in consistent alignment with federal evaluation standards.

Relevant Companies